The investment team, led by Chief Investment Officer Tom Olson, is in charge of day-to-day management of the Foundation portfolios. Team members determine an asset allocation model, select investment managers, measure performance and provide oversight. They are responsible for delivering risk-adjusted returns that fall within established guidelines.
The staff works closely with the Foundation Investment Committee, whose members often have significant experience in investment and finance. The committee, guided by established Foundation policies, monitors the development, analysis, adoption and execution of investment decisions by the UWF staff.
Investment team members monitor industry trends, explore and evaluate financial opportunities and provide prudent, ethical stewardship of gifts entrusted to the Foundation.
Tom Olson
Chief Investment Officer, UW Foundation
Tom Olson joined the Foundation in 2005 as director of investments and was named Chief Investment Officer in 2009. In eight years with the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, he became a Private Equity Portfolio Manager, managing a $2.5 billion global portfolio. Olson also spent 12 years in the banking industry. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
John Dobson (BBA BUS ’88)
Director of Investments, UW Foundation
Previously assistant portfolio manager for the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, Dobson joined the Foundation in 2007. During his previous 16 years in the financial industry, he worked as an analyst, auditor and investigator for a regulatory agency and director of operations for a small finance-related software company. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Certified Public Accountant.
